Keyboard Shortcuts

Introduction link

SCI-Compiler provides extensive keyboard shortcuts that dramatically reduce the time required to design FPGA firmware. Mastering these shortcuts transforms diagram editing from a slow, mouse-heavy process into a fast, efficient workflow.

Shortcut Categories link

1. Standard editing - Copy, paste, undo, redo
2. Selection - Multi-select blocks and wires
3. Zoom and navigation - View control
4. Wiring automation - Advanced connection shortcuts
5. Block manipulation - Rotate, arrange

Standard Editing Shortcuts link

Common clipboard and editing operations:

Selection Methods link

Single selection:

• Click on block or wire

Multiple selection - Drag area:

1. Click and hold left mouse button on empty space
2. Drag to create selection rectangle
3. Release to select all enclosed items

Multiple selection - Ctrl+Click:

1. Hold Ctrl key
2. Click individual blocks/wires to add to selection
3. Click selected items again to deselect

Select all:

• Ctrl+A - Select all blocks and wires in diagram

Zoom and Navigation Shortcuts link

Control diagram view efficiently:

Navigation Best Practices link

Exploring large designs:

1. Press A to see full overview
2. Click area of interest
3. Press B to zoom to selection
4. Use mouse wheel for fine zoom adjustment
5. Alt+Drag to pan around

Working on specific area:

1. Select relevant blocks
2. Press B to center view
3. Zoom in with W or mouse wheel
4. Work efficiently in focused view

Advanced Wiring Shortcuts link

These powerful shortcuts automate complex connection patterns, saving hours of manual wiring.

P - Quick Variable/Register/Port Access link

Fast in-place creation of connection points.

Figure 1: Quick access menu for variables, registers, and ports

Function: Opens context menu for creating:

• Variables - Named connection points
• Registers - Memory-mapped registers
• Ports - Board I/O pins

Usage:

1. Press P key in diagram
2. Menu appears at cursor
3. Select variable/register/port type
4. Item created in-place
5. Connect immediately

Benefits:

• Faster than toolbar navigation
• Creates at exact cursor position
• Minimal interruption to workflow

Alt+V - Multiply Registers link

Automatically create multiple registers from a template.

Figure 2: Creating multiple registers with auto-increment

Function: Creates N register blocks with auto-incremented names.

Requirements:

• One or more register blocks selected
• Register names should end with number (e.g., “reg_0”) for proper increment

Usage:

1. Select register block(s)
2. Press Alt+V
3. Dialog appears: “How many registers?”
4. Enter number (e.g., 15)
5. Click OK

Naming logic:

Multiple selections:

• If multiple registers selected, process runs independently for each
• Each creates its own series of incremented registers

Alt+S - Serial Register Connection link

Connect incrementing registers to series of identical blocks.

Figure 3: Serial connection from registers to processing blocks

Function: Auto-connect register_N, register_N+1, register_N+2… to multiple block instances.

Requirements:

• Connection to/from register with numeric suffix (e.g., “Threshold_0”)
• Multiple instances of same block type

Usage - Register to Block:

1. Create connection: Threshold_0 → Leading Edge Trigger
2. Select the wire
3. Press Alt+S
4. Wire turns pink (active mode)
5. Click next Leading Edge Trigger block
6. New wire created: Threshold_1 → clicked block
7. Repeat clicking more blocks
8. Press Esc to exit mode

Usage - Block to Register:

1. Create connection: Baseline Restorer → Baseline_0
2. Select the wire
3. Press Alt+S
4. Wire turns pink
5. Click next Baseline Restorer block
6. New wire created: clicked block → Baseline_1
7. Repeat for more blocks
8. Press Esc to exit

Use cases:

• Configure 16 identical processing channels
• Each channel has its own threshold register
• Connect threshold_0 through threshold_15 efficiently

Alt+E - Fan-out to Multiple Blocks link

Connect one source to same input pin on multiple destination blocks.

Figure 4: Fan-out from single source to multiple destinations

Function: One output connects to same input pin on N identical blocks.

Usage:

1. Create connection: REG_0 → Leading Edge Trigger (Threshold input)
2. Select the wire
3. Press Alt+E
4. Wire turns pink
5. Click another Leading Edge Trigger block
6. New wire created: REG_0 → clicked block (Threshold input)
7. Repeat clicking more blocks
8. Press Esc to exit mode

Common scenarios:

Shared configuration:

• One threshold register to all 16 channels
• Global enable signal to multiple blocks
• Common clock to processing chain

Broadcast signals:

• Trigger to multiple DAQ blocks
• Reset to all counters
• Gate to parallel processing paths

Alt+D - Sequential Channel Assignment link

Connect multiple sources to incrementing channels of multi-input block.

Figure 5: Channel assignment dialog

Figure 6: Multiple sources connected to sequential oscilloscope channels

Function: Auto-connect identical blocks to sequential channels (D00, D01, D02…).

Supported multi-channel blocks:

• Digitizer - Multiple data channels
• Oscilloscope - Multiple trace inputs
• Spectrum - Multiple input channels
• Imaging Module - Multi-channel imaging
• Multi-input gates - AND, OR, XOR, Mux, Adder, etc.

Usage:

1. Create connection: Trigger_0 → Oscilloscope (D00 channel)
2. Select the wire
3. Press Alt+D
4. Dialog appears: “Enter channel index”
5. Enter starting index (e.g., 1 for D01)
6. Click OK
7. Wire turns pink
8. Click next source block (Trigger_1)
9. New wire created: Trigger_1 → Oscilloscope (D01)
10. Click Trigger_2 → connects to D02
11. Continue for all channels
12. Press Esc to exit

Channel index:

• Zero-based (0 = first channel)
• Increments automatically for each connection

Use case - 16-channel oscilloscope:

1. Connect Trigger_0 → Oscilloscope D00
2. Alt+D → Enter 1
3. Click Trigger_1 through Trigger_15
4. All 16 channels connected in seconds!

Alt+R - Replicate Sequential Connections link

Auto-create N connections between sequential pins.

Figure 7: Specify number of connections to replicate

Figure 8: Replicated connections between sequential pins

Function: Create N identical connections between adjacent pins.

Usage:

1. Create connection: Wire Split[0] → Logic Analyzer[0]
2. Select the wire
3. Press Alt+R
4. Dialog appears: “Number of links to create”
5. Enter number (e.g., 15)
6. Click OK
7. 15 additional connections created:
   • Wire Split[1] → Logic Analyzer[1]
   • Wire Split[2] → Logic Analyzer[2]
   • …
   • Wire Split[15] → Logic Analyzer[15]

Requirements:

• Source block has multiple sequential outputs (e.g., [0], [1], [2]…)
• Destination block has multiple sequential inputs
• Both blocks have enough pins for N connections

Classic use case - Wire Split to Logic Analyzer:

• Split 16-bit bus into 16 individual signals
• Connect all 16 to Logic Analyzer channels
• One connection + Alt+R with 15 = Done!

Escape to deselect:

• Press Esc to deselect wire and end replication mode

Alt+F - Fan-out Sequential Outputs link

Connect sequential outputs from one block to same input on multiple blocks.

Figure 9: Sequential fan-out from one source to multiple destinations

Function: Output[N], Output[N+1], Output[N+2]… → Same input pin on multiple blocks.

Usage:

1. Create connection: Counter[0] → Register_0
2. Select the wire
3. Press Alt+F
4. Wire turns pink
5. Click Register_1
6. New wire created: Counter[1] → Register_1
7. Click Register_2
8. New wire created: Counter[2] → Register_2
9. Continue for all registers
10. Press Esc to exit

Supported destinations:

• Register blocks
• Output signal blocks
• Variable blocks
• Identical block instances

Use case - Multi-channel counter readout:

• 16 counters with sequential Counts outputs
• 16 register blocks for readout
• Connect Counts[0]→reg_0, then Alt+F click remaining 15 registers
• All connections created instantly

Block Manipulation Shortcuts link

Transform and organize blocks efficiently:

Spacebar - Rotate Blocks link

Function: Rotate selected blocks 90° clockwise.

Usage:

1. Select one or more blocks
2. Press Spacebar
3. Blocks rotate 90° clockwise
4. Repeat for 180°, 270°, or back to 0°

Why rotate:

• Optimize signal flow direction (left→right, top→bottom)
• Reduce wire crossings
• Improve diagram readability
• Fit blocks in tight spaces

R - Rearrange Wires link

Function: Automatically optimize wire routing.

Usage:

1. Select wires to rearrange (or Ctrl+A for all)
2. Press R
3. Wires automatically re-routed for clarity

Benefits:

• Reduces wire crossings
• Creates cleaner right-angle paths
• Improves visual organization
• Makes diagram more professional

Shortcut Combinations link

Combine shortcuts for maximum efficiency.

Multi-Channel Design Workflow link

Creating 16-channel signal processing system:

  1. Add first processing block
2. Alt+V → Create 16 registers (threshold_0...threshold_15)
3. Connect threshold_0 → block
4. Alt+S → Click 15 more blocks (auto-connect incrementing registers)
5. Add output register
6. Alt+V → Create 16 output registers
7. Connect first block → output_0
8. Alt+S → Click 15 more blocks
9. Alt+F → Connect all outputs to USB endpoint
10. Press A to zoom out and view complete design
  

Result: 16 identical channels with unique registers in under 2 minutes!

Bus Manipulation Workflow link

Processing 32-bit parallel bus:

  1. Add Wire Split (32 outputs)
2. Add Logic Analyzer (32 channels)
3. Connect Split[0] → Analyzer[0]
4. Alt+R → Enter 31 → All 32 connections created
5. Select connections
6. Press R → Wires rearranged neatly
  

Result: Perfect 32-bit bus to analyzer connection in 10 seconds!

Replication Workflow link

Copy proven design to all channels:

  1. Design single-channel processing (trigger + filter + QDC)
2. Select all blocks (Ctrl+A or drag-select)
3. Ctrl+C to copy
4. Ctrl+V to paste → 15 times
5. Arrange pasted groups vertically
6. Alt+V on each register to increment names
7. Connect inputs with Alt+E
8. Connect outputs with Alt+F
  

Result: 16-channel processing from 1-channel template in minutes!

Shortcut Reference Table link

Complete quick reference for all shortcuts:

Editing & Selection link

Zoom & Navigation link

Advanced Wiring link

Block Manipulation link

Best Practices link

Learning Shortcuts link

Beginner approach:

1. Start with standard editing (Ctrl+C/V/Z)
2. Learn zoom (Q/W/A/B)
3. Add one wiring shortcut per week
4. Practice on example projects

Progressive mastery:

• Week 1: Ctrl+C/V/Z, Q/W/A/B
• Week 2: Alt+R (most useful!)
• Week 3: Alt+E (fan-out)
• Week 4: Alt+F (sequential fan-out)
• Week 5: Alt+S (register series)
• Week 6: Alt+D (channel assignment)
• Week 7: Alt+V, P, Spacebar, R

Efficiency Tips link

1. Muscle memory - Practice shortcuts until automatic
2. Pink wire - Remember pink = active shortcut mode
3. Esc to exit - Always press Esc when done
4. Preview first - Create one connection to verify, then use shortcut
5. Combine shortcuts - Chain multiple shortcuts in workflow

Common Mistakes link

Wrong selection:

• Shortcut requires specific selection (e.g., Alt+S needs register connection)
• Solution: Read “Requirements” for each shortcut

Forgot to press Esc:

• Wire stays pink, interferes with other operations
• Solution: Always press Esc after shortcut operation

Wrong block types:

• Alt+E clicking non-matching block types
• Solution: Ensure destination blocks are identical type

Not enough pins:

• Alt+R requesting more connections than pins available
• Solution: Check source/destination pin counts

Troubleshooting link

Shortcut Doesn’t Work link

Problem: Pressing shortcut does nothing

Solutions:

• Verify correct selection (wire/block as required)
• Check focus is in Diagram tab (not Editor or Output)
• Ensure no modal dialog is open
• Try clicking diagram first to focus

Wire Doesn’t Turn Pink link

Problem: Alt+[key] doesn’t activate mode

Solutions:

• Verify wire is selected (highlighted)
• Check wire meets requirements (e.g., Alt+S needs register)
• Ensure Alt key is pressed while pressing letter
• Try selecting wire again

Wrong Connections Created link

Problem: Shortcut creates unexpected connections

Solutions:

• Verify block types match expectations
• Check pin names are identical
• Review connection logic for that shortcut
• Undo (Ctrl+Z) and try again carefully

Can’t Exit Shortcut Mode link

Problem: Wire stays pink, can’t work normally

Solutions:

• Press Esc key
• Click empty diagram space
• Select different item
• Restart SCI-Compiler if stuck

Summary link

Keyboard shortcuts are essential for efficient SCI-Compiler workflow:

Most impactful shortcuts:

1. Alt+R - Replicate connections (saves hours on buses)
2. Alt+E - Fan-out (common configurations)
3. A - Zoom to fit (orientation)
4. Ctrl+Z - Undo (fix mistakes)
5. Alt+F - Sequential fan-out (multi-channel)

Time savings:

• Manual wiring 16-channel design: 2-3 hours
• With shortcuts: 10-15 minutes
• Efficiency gain: 10-20x faster!

Practice makes perfect:

• Shortcuts feel awkward initially
• Become natural with repetition
• Essential for professional productivity
• Transform firmware design experience

Master these shortcuts to become a SCI-Compiler power user!

Related Documents link

• Ide User Interface
• Contextual Menu
• V2495 Getting Started
• Dt5550 Getting Started